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More than knives fly in primary fighting

By Peter Lucas

Updated:
03/22/2013 08:23:06 AM EDT

If this were a knife fight Stevie Lynch would be on the floor and Eddie Markey would be walking away without a scratch.

But it is not a knife fight, but a fight for the United States Senate where two members of the U.S. House of Representatives are battling it out in a special election for the Democratic nomination which, in this case, appears to be tantamount to election.

The special primary to fill the seat left vacant by former U.S. Sen. John Kerry will be held April 30 and the election on June 25. Vying for the Democratic nomination are veteran Congressman Markey of Malden and fellow U.S. Rep. Lynch of South Boston. The winner of that contest will face one of three Republicans.

The knife fight figure of speech is somewhat apt, though, when viewed through the lens of television news coverage Markey generated with his rapid response to the dumb new policy of the Transportation Security Administration allowing passengers to carry pocketknives on airplanes.

No sooner did the TSA make the announcement about allowing pocketknives on planes -- but not water bottles -- than Eddie Markey swung into action. Markey grabbed the issue and ran with it as only as an experienced politician can do. He was all over the place.

Surrounded by flight attendants and holding up a Swiss army knife, Markey held press conferences in Boston and in Washington to denounce the decision, promising to pressure the TSA to reverse it.

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He immediately co-sponsored the "No Knives Act," prohibiting the TSA from implementing the change scheduled to go into effect April 25. That, coincidentally, is five days before the primary.

Local television news ran with the story and granted Markey the free coverage that politicians -- let alone candidates -- dream about. The knife coverage coincided with his effective paid television ad in which Markey comes out strong for banning assault weapons.

For Lynch, the underdog in the race, it was a missed opportunity. He was nowhere to be seen on the knife issue.

Markey began the race as the favorite. He not only had the backing of John Kerry, Vicki Kennedy, and the Democrat Party establishment -- as well as a campaign war chest of $3 million -- but he had the support of liberal activists who now control the Democrat Party in Massachusetts. And he has been able to build on that support.

Also, Markey surprised a lot of critics who believed that he had grown rusty and was out of touch with Massachusetts voters, not having had a serious challenge for his House seat in years. Markey has proven them wrong, however. He has come on strong and is dominating the race.

Lynch, meanwhile, appears unable to get out of his hometown of South Boston. His first television campaign ad, which introduced him to voters, centered on his South Boston roots. That is fine, but if you have to run an introductory ad five weeks before the primary, you know you have a problem.

His second ad was something out of the classic Kirk Douglas movie Spartacus where fellow defeated rebels shout "I am Spartacus" to confuse the Romans. Only in the Lynch ad people pop up and say "I am Steve Lynch." "I am Spartacus" was better.

Despite the gaiety of the St. Patrick's Day breakfast celebrations this past weekend, Lynch suffered a couple of other campaign setbacks.

One came when Boston Mayor Tom Menino dashed any hopes Lynch had that Menino might endorse him, a fellow Bostonian, given the fact that Ed Jesser, a Menino best friend, is running the Lynch campaign. Tom Menino's real best friend, however, is Tom Menino. Menino's neutrality is a plus for Markey.

The other Lynch setback came when Markey won the endorsement of the Massachusetts Service Employees International Union (SEIU) over Lynch, who is a former ironworker and Ironworkers Union Local 7 leader. The SEIU is made up of hospital workers, security guards, social workers, janitors, and so on. It is the fastest-growing union in the state and can turn out thousands of campaign volunteers.

This blow to Lynch came after the state AFL-CIO, which is headed by Stephen Tolman, a former fellow member of the state Senate, decided to remain neutral in the race.

Lynch, way behind in campaign money, is also falling behind in liberal and union support as well. He can only hope to gain ground in several upcoming television debates.

But if Markey brings a knife to the debate, Lynch, as Obama would advise, had better bring a gun.

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